Just Some Dumb Book
by sndbrg23
Summary: Days after past Piper, Leo, and Patty see 75 year old Piper, Piper has an epic battle to save the Halliwell line.
1. The Scavenger Hunt

It's Just a Dumb Book.

Thirteen-year old Victor Halliwell's teeth began to chatter. "Why are we looking for a dumb book? Everything's digital!" His fingers were frozen sausages, and crystals started to form under his eyelids.

His companion, fourteen year old Rex Faust, carried a canvas bag, shovel, ax, and pick as he searched through the terrain. "You know, we can't win if we don't find this. This dumb book is worth 50,000 points!"

"We've been orbing for almost six hours around this mountain range. By the time we're done, I'm going to be able to speak Argentinean! Are you sure this is the right spot?"

"Based on the clues and my research, this is the spot, but who knows?" Rex and Victor walked the hazardous terrain of the South American mountainside. They figured they were around 10,000 feet above sea level, and they had to leave soon due to lack of oxygen.

Victor halted, "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"It's a vibration…almost humming…it's over there." Victor walked to the side of the mountain and placed his hand on the rock. He tapped the rock; it echoed. "Something is there. Let's get this stupid book and defrost before Dad has my head!"

"Wait! You need the sack. Brutus said that was the only way he would take the book and know it was real!"

"Fine." Victor orbed in the mountain.

A dark figure shimmered next to Rex. "Did he find it?"

Rex's face was blank as he confirmed, "Just as you said."

"Good. " The figure shimmered out.


	2. Heads Up

As Piper Halliwell woke, she had visions of the night before. She had seen herself forty years younger along with Leo and her mother and reliving both sides in her head. The idea of being in two places at once was mind-boggling even after all these years.

Leaving Leo sleeping, Piper showered and dressed for the day. Gazing in the mirror, her long brown locks had turned silver in forty years; her youthful appearance had disappeared. She was Grams now to her seven grandchildren and her sisters' ten. She never thought she would be the last of Charmed line. Piper figured it might have been Phoebe or Paige, but not her.

At thirty-five, when she visited, she didn't know what had become of her sisters and their families, and at that time, it didn't matter. They were dead in the current present, and Coop's ring was the only way to change that result of the fight between Billie and Christie. The visit was only five to minutes, but it was essential for her to focus on which Grams she was aiming for.

Piper fixed breakfast for her and Leo and poured her first cup of coffee. She overheard the rumblings of Leo as he stumbled into the shower to start his day.

Before she took her first bite, a sparkling light emerged. The same Angel of Destiny she had seen as a thirty-five year old stood in front of her. Her glowing robe and soft smile, the angel hadn't aged as Piper had.

"I commend you and Leo for helping with the final battle."

Piper moved the egg back and forth, "It was hard, you know—not telling them the future."

"Yes, but you knew what had to be done. How do you feel, Piper?"

"Tired. I guess the strain of yesterday has taken a toll on me."

"You miss your sisters?"

"Everyday. I know they are supporting me, but I will be with them sooner or later."

"Ever thought how you'd like to see the end?"

Piper had thought long and hard about that, especially after Paige and Phoebe were gone. It didn't seem long Henry and Coop lasted. Henry died of natural causes, and even though Coop hadn't had his powers for twenty years, he died of a broken heart after losing Phoebe.

"After seeing what has happened with my sisters and their husbands, I don't want Leo to endure that type of pain. I don't want him alone. We have gone through so much in fifty years that it would be nice to leave this Earth together—to rejoin our family together."

"And your children? Grandchildren?"

"They'd understand. Wyatt, Chris, and Melinda have their families and have known what we've wanted. Honestly, the longer evil doesn't know the last Charmed sister is gone, the better. The entire family would be able to plan accordingly."

"Do you think Leo would be in agreement?"

At that point, a dressed Leo in his white buttoned up shirt and jeans walked into the conversation. "Angel.."

"Leo, we've been talking…"

"About the end…I know I've been listening for the past few minutes. I agree with Piper. Whenever that time comes, we'll be together. Is this the only reason for your visit?"

"Your line needs both of you. Wyatt will be arriving shortly with some disturbing news, and you will be rejoining with your sisters to save your children and your grandchildren. Good Luck."

As the Angel of Destiny faded, Wyatt Halliwell orbed in the kitchen. His blonde hair had streaks of grey and wrinkles started to show around his eyes. "Mom, Dad, the Grimmoiré has been stolen!"

Piper looked up from her cup of coffee and gazed to the ceiling, "Thanks for the heads up!"


	3. A Cup, A Book, So?

It took several minutes to calm Wyatt down. As he paced, his hands were through his hair, his pockets, and his knees. He was close to hyperventilating. "Wyatt, relax, we'll figure it out." It was odd that Piper was the calm one-with her history.

"I don't understand. That book was protected by good magic. No one evil can touch it without help. Why would any good witch want to help evil get the most dangerous weapon? It's impossible to get to it."

Wyatt remember it took Patty, his cousin (kinda-long story)/wife, to shimmer, but still use good magic to trap Klea, a demon from the Brotherhood of the Thorn. He and Chris were there to protect Patty in case Klea used any of her tricks. Her people might have known where the book could have been, but to get inside? It took someone who had both like Patty, but innocent about…

Wyatt gritted his teeth. "I'll be back."

Piper and Leo exchanged a smirk of the Schwarzenegger Terminator line, but Wyatt did not seem to be in a joking mood. Knowing their son would return, Piper casually grabbed a coffee cup from the cupboard and filled the cup for Leo. Within minutes, Wyatt returned in an interesting gesture—he was holding a teenage boy by the nape of his shirt.

"What are you doing with my grandson?" Piper demanded.

"Perhaps you want a turn after I'm done?" He stared at his son. "Victor, why don't you tell Grams why Dad's not happy?"

Just like the typical teenage boy response, Victor shrugged, "I dunno."

The comment didn't make Wyatt happy, so he levitated Victor to the ceiling. "Let's try this again. Did you happen to see an old book in the last couple of days?"

"Is this why you're mad? It's just some dumb book. It was for a scavenger hunt at school." Wyatt was so aggravated he dropped his son on the kitchen floor.

With a large thud, Victor crunched up his face and whined, "Why did you do that for?"

"You're lucky I didn't send you to Timbuktu! Victor, I-"

"Wyatt, calm down. Victor has made a mistake. We have all made mistakes, like creating a dragon out of a television?" This made Wyatt pipe down. Piper pulled a kitchen chair and offered Victor to sit. "Honey, Grams just wants to know about your scavenger hunt and the book you found."

Wyatt's vulture eyes hovered around his son, and Leo tried not to laugh. Victor glanced to his right and his left before answering his grandmother. "A group of guys at Magic School got together with this guy, Brutus…"

"Et tu, Brutus?"

"WYATT! Continue, Sweetheart."

"We were put in pairs to find different things around the world. Each pair had someone who could teleport the pair to the location. My friend, Rex, went to Egypt for pyramid artifacts and then the Middle East for a stupid golden cup…"

Leo's and Wyatt's eyes bulged out. "GOLDEN CUP!"

"It wasn't even a fancy cup. Like a, a…"

Leo finished for him, "A Carpenter would use?"

"Maybe, yeah, it was pretty at all. Just.."

"Proof of immortality and foundation of a major religion!" Leo sat down and placed his head into his hands. "Remind me when this is over-to forget the boy's Christmas gift."

"Grandpa! What did I do?" The boy seemed very confused, and everything was going too fast for Victor.

"Honey, focus on me. What about the book?"

"One of the biggest items on the list was a black book in the Andes Mountains. It was worth 50,000 points. No one would be able to catch us if we got that book. We hunted different mountaintops for several hours, but we finally reached a mountaintop that seemed to hum."

"What do you mean, hum?"

"It, like, called to me, but only I could hear it. Rex couldn't hear it. I orbed in with my prize bag and on a black podium, the old book was there. "

"Did you look underneath the podium for a symbol or insignia?" Piper wondered about the triquetra that shielded the book that Leo had placed so many years ago.

"Everything was dusty. I could hardly see anything without my powers in my hand to light the way. I almost knocked it off." Piper figured when Patty had vanquished the demon, and the passage was resealed, the triquetra was covered in dust.

"Then?"

"I tried to pick it up, but I couldn't. It felt hot, so I orbed it into my bag and went to meet Rex."

"And?"

"Rex was thrilled, and we returned to Magic School. We gave our bag to Brutus, and he smiled and said we won."

Wyatt was filled with curiosity and shook his head, "Son, what did you win?"

The question seemed dumb to Victor. "Duh, bragging rights!" Victor hadn't realized his father hovering over him, and then, he felt himself rising in his seat without any control. His snotty remark just made things worse for him.

"YOU, ROOM, GROUNDED!" Victor orbed from the kitchen and disappeared. Wyatt placed his hands behind his neck and screamed, "PATTY!"

Within seconds, Patty shimmered in, "What? What's wrong?"

"Our son has helped Team Evil get the Grimmoiré. And, I'm going to kill him."


	4. The Reunion

"Wyatt, we need your cousins—all of them. We need to talk about this tonight. We'll meet here at 7PM. Right now, I need to call your aunts down." Piper looked at Leo. "We kinda figure this." Wyatt and Patty held hands and orbed out.

"You're ready for your next adventure, Honey?"

"Life's an adventure."

Piper and Leo walked up the stairs to the attic. Most of the items in the attic had dust covered on it. Piper was too tired to dust everything. Placing five white candles in the center, she lit each one. Piper stood in the middle of circle; she didn't need the book, _"H__ear these words, hear my cry, spirits from the other side, come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide_."

A slight breeze moved Piper's grey hair. Sparkles surrounded Piper as Prue, Phoebe, and Paige came from above. Her sisters were ageless; they were as young as they were when first Charmed.

"Hey, sis." The four sisters hugged. They all changed to be Piper's age.

"We missed all of you." The sisters squeezed their brother-in-law.

"So, we heard, what are we going to do with the Grimmoiré?" Prue went to the book and started to turn the pages.

"I had to calm Wyatt down. He almost killed poor Victor."

"How old is Victor now?" Phoebe brush a hair from Piper's face.

"Fourteen going on forty. He thought it was a scavenger hunt."

"God, to think, all the problems we got into," Paige thought, "Glad Wyatt wasn't here when I threw the Book of Shadows out of the window."

"Have you thought of scrying for the book?" Prue refocused the conversation.

"No, not sure if we could scry for that type of evil. I thought it worked for just demons. Besides, you think they would take the book on Earth?"

"It would be not wise, but it is, after all, evil." Phoebe picked up the candles and placed them on the shelf. She pulled a crystal off the top shelf and handed it to Prue. Paige pulled a map and globe off another shelf.

"You think, it might have more power, if we all held the crystal?" Phoebe questioned.

"It can't hurt." Prue brought the crystal over the old fashioned GPS. All of the Charmed One grasped the crystal, and it began to sway. After several minutes, the crystal stopped.

"It was a try." Phoebe smiled, "Well, hopefully, the kids will have a better idea. Piper, when are the kids coming over?"

"Tonight, I wanted to make sure they had plenty of time to get their plans together. Phoebs, how long will it take for the Source to be coronated?"

"When Cole was coronated, it took several days to make sure the dark priests had everything they needed? They also need a human sacrifice."

"I remember that part when you and Paige decided to have me join you when the Seer became the Source."

"You didn't want to be left out, right?"

"You and Leo could be in danger, so could the kids and grandkids. We need a safe place for everyone."

"We and the kids will be able to defend ourselves. It's the little ones I'm afraid for. You think Magic School would be safe, even though this is how the whole mess started?"

"We'll have to ask the Elders," Leo recommended. "We can cloak them, but we don't know how long the cloak will last. The youngest grandchild is five, and I want to make sure she's protected. We think she has Phoebe's powers, but since it is a passive power, we won't know for awhile. There is more than one Magic School; there are several around the world. We could separate them in order to protect them."

"Unfortunately, we don't know how long it will be. If the Source is crowned before we can do anything, they could be there for years. You know the first order of service will be extinguished the Charmed line," Piper worried. "How about we go down stairs, have a couple cups of tea, and make some treats for tonight?"

"Ah, the cooking Piper I missed," Prue smiled.

"I miss eating," Paige mused. "One good part of coming down."

"Where's Kat?" Piper questioned Paige as they walked down the stairs. Several years ago, a demon killed Kat. Tamora hadn't seen her sister since she had died alike to Prue. Piper thought that maybe Paige had brought her daughter with her.

"I wasn't allowed to bring her. I know Tam and Henry really want to see her, but I guess this wasn't the time. Tam's going to be angry, but there was nothing I could. Now, I know how Grams felt not being able to bring Prue down." Paige gazed to her sister, "Prue, any advice?"

"Nothing that is going to work. Maybe they'll let her come down when this whole mess is cleaned up."

In the kitchen, Piper started the tea water, and she and Leo seemed to have a mental conversation.

"I don't need my empathy powers to tell me something else is up," Phoebe stared at Leo and Piper.

"We've had a visit from the Angel of Destiny, and I think we need to talk."


	5. Delegation

Wyatt still was aggravated with his son. He knew he had done stupid things in the past, but not at the risk of the whole magical community. He arrived early and consulted with the Book of Shadows—listing as many possibilities his family could have to retrieve the Grimmoire.

He knew one day he would be in charge. A part of him terrified him; the entire family would depend on him. There wouldn't be the Charmed Ones anymore, and the threat of the Source returning made the thought even scarier. He knew his brother and sister would help as well his cousins, but he felt the weight even stronger being the eldest.

All of the cousins arrived and reunited with their mothers and aunts. It always has been a happy moment, but as expected, Kat's disappearance made Tam upset, and her mother felt guilty for not bringing her home.

Everyone sat in the living room using chairs from the dining room and the conservatory. Wyatt's sibling and cousins clustered together, while his mother and aunts stood behind them.

"We have a lot to deal with, but I don't have all the answers. I need all of you to prevent the Source to be crowned."

"Do you where the Grimmoire is?" Chris questioned.

"No, we've tried scrying with the Book of Shadows; however, it didn't work."

"You think Victor could find it again, since he was able to find it the first time?"

"Patty, I don't want our son in danger. He might have the ability to, but I don't want to resort to that until we've exhausted all of our options."

PJ's faces crinkled. "Wyatt, we have to work about the kids. Some of them are new to their powers; others don't even know they have powers."

"My recommendation is to send all the grandkids to Magic School, and then the Elders can cloak the school. I would like to split our three tasks, so that we all don't have to worry. I am doing it by birth order. The eldest Charmed offspring: Patty, PJ, Tam, and I will be the overlookers. We will check with the Elders with everything about our plans and keep them in the loop. The middle children: Parker and Chris will protect our mothers. They both have active powers to supplement the Charmed Ones abilities. The youngest: Melinda, Penny, and Henry are responsible for the grandkids. Questions, so far?"

Piper smiled at her sisters as if she planned everything. She had already foreseen these family meetings in the future, and as long as they didn't fight who in charge, problems could be solved quickly and diplomatically. Wyatt also separated the jobs not in according to the birth order of the sisters. Every decision must be a Charmed decision not just the heirs of Piper or Prue.

Penny was the youngest of all the Charmed grandchildren, but the strongest with Phoebe's abilities of premonition. She took a large intake of air.

"Penny, what did you see?" Parker guided her sister.

"A spell was said and the Book of Shadows opened up. On a blank page, the Book drew a picture. It was a picture of where the Grimmoire was."

"Any clue on the spell?" Parker continued.

Penny was still concentrating on the premonition. "_Book to book come to thee, use the ink to let us see_."

"I guess we know what to do with the book. Penny, who said the spell?"

"Our mothers…they need to say the spell."

"Okay, we need to get to work. PJ, Tam, Patty…" Wyatt held hands with his cousins and then orbed out.

"We'll start getting the children ready," Melinda and Henry orbed out. Even though, Leo was a human when Melinda was conceived, but his genes had already been touched by a whitelighter. She could orb, but she couldn't use her whitelighter powers as well as her brothers. She, however, had been the best with potions and spells out of the Piper children.

"Ladies, I guess, it's your turn."

Tribal demons shimmered inside of the Manor. They began to shoot energy and fire balls at the three cousins and the Charmed Ones. Piper was still lethal, and she took down several demons. Paige had orbed in and out, so the demons would kill each other. Prue levitated different objects into the chests of demons.

Wyatt and his cousin returned to the battle. Within one motion from Wyatt's hands, all the demon disintegrated and ended the threat.

"What did we miss?" PJ huffed.

Chris snapped, "Oh, nothing..we were just knitting…" PJ lifted Chris using her telepathic powers and dropped him without looking to see where he landed.

"What, did _I _miss_?"_


	6. Who You Gonna Call?

The grandchildren weren't thrilled about Magic School, especially Victor. He felt guilty that all of this was because of something he did. Now, they were stuck in school, the nightmare of all children, especially teenagers. The teachers and the Elders made sure that the Charmed children were in comfort. The infants and the toddlers were in the nursery, while the older children were in bunk beds.

Victor was determined to get everyone out of this mess and get back in the good graces of his father and his grandmother. After everyone went to bed, he snuck into the library to find more information on the Grimmoire. He climbed a rolling ladder and reached the fifteenth shelf. He almost fell off when he heard voices—recognizable voices.

"We need them all?" the blonde whispered.

"If we don't, one will fink us," Rex responded.

"Is the shield up? The ceremony won't be disturbed?"

"It's the perfect place. No one will find it, and once the shield is up, there is no one who can stop them. We will be rewarded." Rex conjured a large stroller with several baskets.

"Guess who the real fink is," Victor grimaced.

…

"_Book to book come to thee, use the ink to let us see_." The Book of Shadows began to create a picture of where the Grimmoire was located. It drew details of the book and the location; however, it was taking too much time. Piper began to pace.

"Piper, the Book will find the Grimmoire," Phoebe touched her shoulder.

"I know, but what if…"

"Honey, we didn't come here to fail," Prue told her sister.

Finally the Book finished the drawing. "Damn," Paige gazed at the picture.

"What, the Book didn't give the location?" Piper walked over to the Book.

"No, we just sent the babes into the mouth of the lion." The picture displayed the Grimmoire in a room with several dark priests, and in the background was a room in Magic School.

Wyatt screamed, "NOW, what!"

…

Victor followed Rex and his partner as they gathered Victor's siblings and cousins. It was important to know where they were taking them in order to send for help; however, with Magic School sealed, it was impossible to send for help, unless..

In one of the classrooms, a spirit board was displayed. It was used to show how to conduct séances without the help of spells, candles, and herbs. He hoped his Aunt Phoebe or her Aunt Penny could receive this as a premonition. Taking the pointer to the center, he moved to S, then O, then S, and stopped, hoping his aunts would pick up his signal.

…

A sudden jolt pulled Phoebe into a deep promotion. The others watched as she concentrated on the message. For premonitions, they could last for several seconds, but this one took several minutes.

As she slipped from her premonition, Phoebe grasped for Piper's hand. "Honey, are you okay?"

"Wow, I haven't had one of those in a long time. We have to go downstairs. There isn't a moment to lose."

The Sisters and their children sprinted to the family spirit board and witnessed the pointer going to S, then O, then S, and stopping at the center. Phoebe grabbed the pointer and spelled, "Help is on the way."

The pointer moved back and forth as if it was nodding and then spelled out, "Demons have kids in combat room."

Parker nudged her mother, "What else did you see?"

"Victor is the only one not captured. He is trying to make up for his mistake. I saw the five of us, Leo included, as ghosts, and we possessed the priests and said the Source vanquishing spell—but it was different than before. We added our names to the spell. Then…did he say the combat room?"

"Yes, mother, why?"

"Serendipitous, isn't it?" Phoebe looked at Wyatt and Patty.

…

Victor was glad that his family received his message, but he didn't know the plan. The pointer moved again. It read, "Write this down." He frantically scrambled for a piece of paper and a pen. As he wrote, it noticed it was a spell and then the last word spelled, "Grandpa." At first he was confused, Grandpa was with them. Why use a summoning spell for someone who can't and then he stopped. He knew who to call.


	7. The Toast

"Phoebe, are you crazy? The Elders won't let him come down. Look how much it took to get him down for the wedding and the Wiccanings. You think the Elders are going to help us with this. This will seem trivial to them!"

Phoebe didn't have to answer, because Piper stopped Wyatt. "Wyatt, listen. Phoebe is not the only one to have a heads up in this. Your Dad and I had a visit from the Angel of Destiny, and she warned us about this event. Therefore, I believe, like Phoebe, the Elders will comply.

"Cole's powers will be revived in the combat room, because it is the same room, you and he trained Patty. He won't be lethal, but he will be able to help Victor get the children out.

"This isn't trivial either. If something happens, the entire Charmed line is in danger, and to the Elders, we are too important. I may not be the biggest of Elder fans, but I know they will assist us to protect the collective good. If the Source returns, we will need every Charmed descendent to defend and protect the world's innocents.

"We have a potion to make." Piper gazed at her sisters. "We've all been ghosts before, and we have possessed demons before." Phoebe had possessed a genie that had made a wish to kill the Charmed Ones. After the genie was caught, Richard had wished the Sisters to be alive once again.

"What do we do in the time being?" demanded Wyatt.

"Watch the spirit board for any messages from Victor. Create potions for upper and lower demons in case there is diversion during the ceremony. Set up the crystals in the attic in case we orb the Source back here. Copy the Source spell from the Book, and last, pray all goes well." Piper led her sisters into the kitchen, while the children dispersed in different directions, leaving Patty and Wyatt alone.

"Honey, everything is going to be okay." Patty touched Wyatt's shoulder.

"I know, but Victor…"

"Is a boy. He understands or will."

….

Victor figured the combat room was the easiest for Evil to infiltrate. It had remnants of his mother's training, and she is half demon, half witch. Rex or Brutus must have found a back door to this room. As he crept into the room, he was blinded by the electrical shield around the children. They were exhausted. Some had burn marks. They must have tried to open the field with energy balls or orbs, but it failed.

Diving into a crevice of the dilapidated dojo, Victor whispered, "Hear my words, hear my cry, spirits from the other side, come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide." It had been his first summoning spell, and he hoped he got all the words right. Nothing. Maybe it has to be in a full voice to be heard. He shrugged, turned, and smashed into a demon?

Victor shrieked, but a young Cole covered his mouth. "Vic, it's me, Grandpa. I just look a little different than normal. You called for help?" Victor gulped and nodded. "Well, I got your call. Let's get the kids out."

"How?" Victor whined, "The electric field is guarding them."

"The field cannot be broken from the inside. It must be taken down by the outside. Listen, this is what we're going to do."

…..

Piper finished the potion and filled five bottles. Prue, Paige, and Phoebe all knew the contents of the potion and knew the risk Piper and Leo were taking. "Honey, if you take that, you'll stay as…" Prue started.

"I will not have our children in danger. This is what Phoebe saw in her premonition. It is the best way of destroying the Source."

"At the risk of Wyatt, Chris, and Melinda losing their mother and father?" Phoebe continued Prue's thought. "My premonitions are warnings-not always the future."

"If this doesn't work, we may not be able to come back and help," Paige added.

"Don't you see?" Piper answered. "This is what the Angel of Destiny was trying to explain to us—one battle to protect our heritage. Then, Wyatt and his siblings and cousins will be in charge. Wyatt has to get accustomed of taking control and depending on his family to help. This is what families do." She gazed into Leo's eyes. "Honey, if you don't, I completely…"

"Together, right? I didn't fall from Grace to limp off at the end." He grabbed the potion and drank the liquid. He was able to sit at a chair and slump. His physical body disappeared, leaving his younger self in his place. He smiled.

"Together." Piper downed the potion and sat in the same chair and the same result occurred. She and Leo appeared as young as they looked when they first met each other over fifty years ago. The other sisters toasted their potions and transformed into their transparent young selves again.

"We have a Source to uncrown," Piper announced.


	8. The Coronation

Victor and Cole approached the electrical cage without the demons noticing them. They made sure the demons were engaged in the ceremony before they saved the children inside.

"Grandpa, is this going to work?"

"The energy in the electrical cage is the same in an energy ball. You are just creating a different field. You can do it. Watch. The ceremony is about to start."

A red pentagram glowed in candle. At each point stood a dark priest. In the center the head priest and Brutus. He was dressed in full black robes. Brutus knelt at the priest's feet as the priest opened the dark book and read, "May the world's evil be at your feet. Are you willing to take the responsibility and power of the Source?"

Brutus voiced, "I am."

The priest began to speak in the Grimmoire's language, and Brutus began to rise. At the same point, the Charmed Ones and Leo arrived and entered the dark priests, while Victor created an energy ball and began to blend the energies together. As Victor had control of the field, he opened a door, so Cole could pull the children out in groups.

The Source's powers encompassed Brutus, and he reached the ground. His eyes were coal black and glassy. The head priest bowed to the new Source. "To seal his reign, he must relish in the blood of an innocent."

Victor and Cole almost had all the children out, but Cole was knocked down by an energy ball and shoved Victor into the electrical cage. Rex stood there laughing. "You thought you could defeat the new Source? With an old man and you?"

"No just them," a dark priest interrupted him.

"Your Honor, I…"

The dark priest punched Rex leaving him unconscious, "Don't call Cole an old man. Victor, you okay?"

"Who…are…you?"

"The one who taught you how to change a carburetor.."

"Grand—"

"Sh-Listen, they are going to vanquish the Source. You need to protect yourself. You must say, _Power of Three will set me free _over and over and close your eyes. We will tell you when to stop, okay?"

The Head Priest led the new Source to the cage. "Destroy the child."

Leo screamed, "NOW!"

The Source began to pull the power and fired at the cage. Victor started to say the chant simultaneously. As the Source focused on Victor, the four Charmed Ones exited the bodies and held hands and each said her own name and continued the vanquishing spell.

"_Piper,"_

"_Paige,"_

"_Phoebe,"_

"_Prudence,"_

"_Penelope, Patricia, Melinda, __Astrid, Helen, Laura and Grace; Halliwell witches stand strong beside us; Vanquish this evil from time and space."_ The Source began to break apart, and the explosions destroyed all the dark priests, Rex, and all of the spectators, leaving the Grimmoire closed. The electric cage had disappeared, but Victor was still crouch down rocking and repeating the protection spell.

The ghost of Leo squatted at Victor's feet. "Son, you can stop now." Victor looked up and saw his grandfather. "I don't think you're grounded anymore."


	9. Baucis and Philemon

Piper's note worried the Halliwell children. _Kids, We went to vanquish the Source and get the kids. Meet us at Magic School when the cloak is removed. _ It seemed so confident that the plan, whatever it was going to be, was going to work. Wyatt and Chris used their sensing powers to determine if the cloak had be lifted or not, but for the last three hours, it had not.

At Noon, Wyatt heard Victor's call, and the Halliwell children orbed to Magic School to reunite with their own children. Each parent hugged their children and kissed each of their heads, except Victor. He stood isolated from everyone; he seemed to be talking to someone. Wyatt noticed his son's heavy breathing and the slight shaking of his hands. Sweat had drenched his flush face and brownish locks. Wyatt knew he needed to reconcile with his son.

He walked carefully to his son, "Victor, you okay?" Victor nodded, but he seemed scared. "Grams said you help rescue everyone. I'm proud of you."

"Re..all..y..even after..I…"

"Everyone makes mistakes, and with magic, mistakes can happen with the best intentions. We learn from our mistakes. It makes us grow, and as witches, it makes us better than the bad guys."

"I thought Rex was my friend. He seemed like a great guy."

"Probably there was a Rex that was a great guy, but evil can change the best of people. When he put power over his friends, he chose evil over good. Some decisions have awful consequences, and you're young enough to see that. You knew you wanted to make up for what you had done. It was a risky choice, but you are a Halliwell, and any Halliwell would have done the same.

"The best decision you did was when you needed help, you asked for it. There are people in this world that will not ask for help out of pride, and it can blow up in their faces. That makes you Charmed like the rest of us." Wyatt could tell his son was calming down, and he knelt at his feet. "Son, I'm not proud of all I've done—either are your aunts, uncles, cousins, and your grandparents. We make amends and move on."

Victor nodded and smiled at a light fixture, which puzzled Wyatt. "Victor, why are you smiling at a light?"

Victor's face crunched in confusion. "I'm looking at Grandpa."

"Grandpa Cole?"

Victor's questionable face answered him. "No, Grandpa Leo."

Wyatt jumped to his feet in shock. He knew his son wasn't lying. Victor was telling the truth, but how is his father a ghost? Wait a minute… "Except for Chris and Melinda, could the rest of you take the kids back to the Manor? I ..uh..we have to deal with a matter." The cousins, using their orbing and cupid rings, gathered the children and left the room, leaving just Piper's children.

"Wyatt, what's wrong?" Melinda walked up to her brother. "Honey, you look like you just saw a ghost."

"Not far from that. Dad? Mom? Are you here? Can you please show yourself?" Nothing happened. "Victor, do you still see Grandpa?"

"No, why?" Victor had a thought, "Can we call like we did Grandpa Cole?"

"No," Chris answered quickly, "that would mean that they were…" and something in his voice dropped.

Melinda tried to cover her own disbelief."Victor, sweetie, is the Source gone?"

"Uh-Huh, Grams and Grandpa were ghosts and along with Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige and Aunt Prue vanquished the Source and everybody in there."

The three adults stared at each other, realizing what had happened.

"Let me take Victor home," said a familiar voice.

"AUNT KAT!" Victor sprinted to his aunt and squeezed. It had been so long since he had seen her.

"Kat, it's good to see you."

"And you, Wyatt, Chris, Melinda. I thought I'd hang out at the Manor with everyone while you finish your business here."

"How—who-?'

"Wyatt, the Elders and the Angel of Destiny thought I could help with everything. It could give you time to talk to Piper and Leo. Please let me take Victor home. I'll see you when you get back." Kat grabbed her nephew's hand, and he orbed them home.

Without talking, Wyatt, Chris, and Melinda held hands and closed their eyes. In some symbiotic motion, they spoke the spell simultaneously, "Hear my words, hear my cry, spirits from the other side, come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide." In a matter of seconds, two spirals of light formed in front of them, and Piper and Leo, looking alive and young, stood in front of them.

Both groups were afraid to talk. Neither knew how to start the conversation. It was the beginning of an end. An end neither wanted to happen, but knew eventually it would.

"Your son is very brave," said Leo. "He is very much like his father."

Wyatt nodded trying to hold back the tears. "No, just like his grandfathers."

Melinda stepped toward her mother, "Mom, this is it, huh?"

Piper nodded and touched her daughter's shoulder, "Honey, it's never over, especially this family. You know we will always be watching and taking care of all of you."

"But why?" Chris blurted. "Can't you come back? Say some spell and return back to us? We need you."

"Honey, you've known we've cheated death a hundred times, but now, it was time. Every one of you is capable of taking care of this family, and you just showed it." Piper glanced at Leo. "We've known for awhile. We had a visit from the Angel of Destiny and asked us how we'd like to leave. We both wanted to leave together. And after all the Elders had put us through, they granted us that request."

"Why? You never liked the Elders. Why would they do anything like this?" Wyatt questioned.

Leo gathered his children around his arms as if he was telling a bedtime story, "Remember when we taught you about Greek and Roman Mythology? The story of Baucis and Philemon? Zeus and Hermes came down to Earth to see if humans were hospitable. They dressed as poor men asking for food and shelter for the night in the valley. Door slam after door slam, the two gods thought humans were worthless until they reached a hovel.

"Baucis and Philemon welcomed the two men, fed them with little food they had, and let them sleep in their bed as the couple slept on the floor. The next morning, the old men revealed who they were, shocking the old couple. When the couple opened the door, the valley had turned into a lake, and the hovel had turned into a temple.

"The gods wanted them to be guardians of the temple and granted them a wish. They wished whenever they would die, they would die together, never leaving the other. Moments before they died, the gods changed the couple into a linden tree and an oak tree-intertwined."

"Dad, what does that have to deal with you?" Chris questioned.

"Son, in the hundred or so years, I was a human, a whitelighter, an Elder, and even an avatar, I served the common good. I sacrificed a lot to make sure not only your Mom and our family were safe, but the whole world.

"And your Mom, is, well, Charmed. She and her sisters had dedicated their lives to protect innocents and provide safety and guidance to whomever needed their help. How hospitable can people be? To jump into danger on a daily basis, risking everything for duty. We and the Elders agreed that our request wasn't as different than Baucis and Philemon's, except the tree part."

"What will we…do..with..out..you?" Melinda cried between her words.

"Move on, honey, just like your cousins did. It will take time, but it isn't forever." Piper hugged her daughter. "You have an awesome family. It's their turn to take care of you. But you, all of you, must do something for us."

"What?"

"Mourn privately. The longer evil does not know about us, the better it will be for you. Once they find out, they will try everything to break you. Then, you'll have time to plan accordingly. It will be hard for you, but I know you can do it. The children will understand too, especially Victor."

Wyatt took a deep breath. This was a lot to take in. "So this is goodbye."

Piper hugged each of her children. "Never. Wyatt, the moment I knew you were in my life, I knew you were going to be special. You have exceeded everything we could have ever wanted. You are the protector of good, with many that love you and you love in return.

"Chris, you came into to past to save your brother, such a noble thing to do. You risked your existence to make sure the world you lived in was good, and you saved not only Wyatt but yourself as well. You had become our biggest ally and biggest hope.

"Melinda, I saw you so many years before you were born. I thought I had lost you so many years ago, but I was wrong. I was destined to have a beautiful girl, and she's here, a grown woman with her own children. You are the heart of my trio, just like I was. Wyatt is my brain and Chris, my soul. The three of you will protect each other and guide our grandchildren and great grandchildren using our wisdom, guidance, and experiences. We will love you forever."

Piper and Leo hugged and kissed each child as all of them cried unashamedly. They walked into a circle of light and turned transparent. They waved and disappeared. The Piper Halliwell children huddled and began to mourn as their parents requested, privately.


	10. Epilogue: A Poem?

Wyatt, Chris, and Melinda mourned with their children over the next few weeks. Little noticed the Halliwells wearing black at the restaurant. For a fancy restaurant, black was always classy, and like true Halliwells, they kept their personal lives from their outside presence.

Kat Mitchell reunited with her sister, Tam, after all the years they had been separated. It had been too long. Having all the cousins together helped everyone deal with the Charmed Ones' departure. Out of everyone, the grandchildren seemed to have the easiest transition. Their parents wondered if their grandparents had visited each of them and talked to them in terms they could understand. Like her mother and aunts before her, Kat too had to leave, but promised to come down more often.

After the destruction of the Source and the key members of evil, the Charmed family had time to plan when demons would attack. It was over six months before a demon attacked and figured the last Charmed One had past. Then, the vanquish had been quick and many of grandchildren had time to practice their powers and prepare for the next attack.

Wyatt and his family moved into the Manor. It was a given that just as before the Manor would be a refuge for any one who needed protection. They would casually bring boxes in and pack other boxes to be distributed between family members, goodwill, or resale shops.

One afternoon, Wyatt had finally unpacked the last box in the Manor. It had taken almost a year to get the house to where he felt comfortable of living there. He carried some toys to put in his youngest daughter's room, but he could find little Patsy. He sensed her upstairs in the attic.

When he arrived, Wyatt noticed his seven year old daughter writing in the middle of the room. "What cha doing?"

"Writing a poem. It just came to me." She lifted the paper up so her father could see it.

He began to read the poem and stopped in the middle of it, "Honey, how did you think of this poem?"

"It just popped in there—like a flash."

Patsy had shown some telekinesis powers like Patty, but this was more than a poem. It was a premonition. His daughter had twin-Charmed powers-both Prue's/Paige's and Phoebe's.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, honey, it's good."

"Okay, gonna play outside. Bye, Daddy." Patsy left the room without thinking twice.

Wyatt walked over to the Book of Shadows and realized that the book was open. Patsy's poem was written in the book, and it wasn't a poem. It was an oracle telling about the return of the Charmed Ones:

_The Charmed line will be threatened as Egypt's men_

_A return is vital in order to defend_

_Enriched in every season, each will bloom_

_Their arrival will prevent certain doom_

_Heed this warning not as Pharaoh_

_Together again, destroy this evil foe._

In an odd feeling, Wyatt was at ease.


End file.
